Plan for 140 new homes in Louth will address town's 'growing housing needs'

A FRESH application for 140 new homes in Louth is to be put forward to address the town's "growing housing needs".

Bourne-based Larkfleet Homes, part of the Larkfleet Group, has announced proposals for the development on a 3.5 hectare stretch of land off Kenwick Road.

This would include a mixture of three, four and five-bedroom two-storey houses as well as an area of open public space and a children's play area.

A planning application is likely to be submitted to East Lindsey District Council in the autumn and the developer has announced it will hold an exhibition for local residents to see the plans in detail later this month.

A newsletter is being distributed to homes providing information about the development and inviting people to the exhibition event, which will be held between 3pm and 7pm on Monday, April 28, at the Pavilion in London Road.

Local people are being encouraged to attend as members of the project team from Larkfleet Homes will be on hand to answer questions about the proposals.

Larkfleet Homes had pledged to offer a fund worth £500 per home built, equating to £70,000 overall, for the community.

Such a fund can be used for any purposes specified by the recipient, in this case Louth Town Council, and can include a number of days of professional support to help create and write bids for specific larger-scale community projects.

Tim Slater, associate director of strategic projects at the Larkfleet Group, said: "The proposed development will help meet growing housing needs both nationally and locally.

"We are keen to consult with local people on our proposals and we would like to encourage residents to come along to the public exhibition on April 28 to ask questions and share their views by completing a feedback form."

The company has confirmed that if planning permission is granted then construction would likely begin in early 2015, taking three years to complete.

Elsewhere in the town there are currently plans in place for 240 homes and an extra care facility on land off Grimsby Road, and 98 new homes near Park Avenue, while a 970-home proposal dubbed the "Southern Gateway" off Legbourne Road was rejected by the district council's planning committee last month.

It is not known whether the developer, the Gladman Group, will appeal the verdict.